Crews rushed to a condo complex in Methuen and found the tail end of that aircraft sticking out of the top of one unit.
Residents of the nine-condo building said it felt like an earthquake as the plane crashed.
Investigators say pilot Alan Lavender was practicing take-offs and landings at nearby Lawrence Municipal Airport when he crashed.
Lavender previously served as Newburyport city councilman and was also mayor from 2000-2003.